Note:
Asuka is even older
than Nara. In addition to
Asukadera, it is filled with mysterious stones. You can read more
about these stones, and my visit to Asuka itself, in my Logbook,
read more about my Yamato experiences,
or read about the entire Aki Meguri from the
beginning.

Asukadera
may be Japan's oldest Buddhist temple, dating back to 588. It
features a (small) "Great Buddha." This figure of Yakushi
Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, was originally made in 609, but it is now
largely the result of subsequent reconstructions. Only the face
and the raised hand are said to be original.